Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes that his players are not guilty of tempting officials in Wednesday’s Champions League game with Paris Saint Germain into sending off Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Swedish striker Ibrahimovic was sent off after just half an hour at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening for a late challenge on Oscar, but Mourinho has countered claims that his players surrounded the referee and attempted to convince him to dismiss the PSG star.
The 53-year-old told reporters: “If my players surround the referee, we are charged. We have to pay a fine and if we do that, the players pay the fine. At this moment we have eight months of competition, we have been charged once and we paid for that. It’s as simple as that.
“Go to the Premier League and see how many teams are charged. The only thing I know is Chelsea were charged once. It is my responsibility to train the players and help them cope with the pressure.”
Chelsea host Southampton on Sunday afternoon.
